Scarlet macaws May 2012
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Photos I took in May, 2012, in the Chalillo Dam reservoir. Located in the Maya Mountains of Belize, Central America.
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Scarlet macaws May 2012
- 1. Scarlet Macaws Chalillo Reservoir, Belize, May 2012 Erik Terdal, Ph.D.
- 2. Methods • Travelled to site on Monday, May 21, 2012 • Rental Ford Ranger 4wd, diesel, 5-speed to get to the reservoir • Inflatable boat with outboard motor to camp • Traveled with Roni Martinez & Charles Britt Erik Terdal, Ph.D., on Chalillo Reservoir; Photo by Roni Martinez
- 3. Renting vehicle from airport
- 5. Filling holes in road to Chalillo
- 6. Filling larger holes in road
- 7. Gear
- 9. Camp
- 12. Dividing up to patrol Upper Macal & Raspaculo Rivers
- 14. Navigating by GPS Photo by Charles Britt
- 16. Reservoir Scenes
- 17. Reservoir Scenes
- 18. Reservoir Scenes
- 19. Reservoir Scenes
- 20. Reservoir Scenes
- 21. Scarlet Macaws
- 22. Scarlet Macaws
- 23. Scarlet Macaws
- 24. Scarlet Macaws
- 25. Scarlet Macaws
- 26. Scarlet Macaws
- 27. Macaw nesting tree climbed by poachers
- 28. Other wildlife: Spider Monkey
- 29. Other wildlife: Morelet’s Crocodile
- 31. Other wildlife: White-Tailed Deer
- 32. Other wildlife: Baird’s Tapir (tracks)
- 33. Macaw artificial nest box (never used)
- 34. Chalillo Dam
- 35. Chalillo Dam
- 37. Acknowledgements • Belize Electric, Ltd. (BEL) • Friends for Conservation & Development (FCD) • Rainforest Restoration Foundation (RRF) • Hidden Valley Inn (HVI) • Coppola Resorts Roni Martinez, Charles Britt, field crew
Editor's Notes
- This slideshow depicts my trip to the Chalillo Reservoir May 21-24, 2012. All photographs are taken by me and copyrighted by me unless otherwise noted; all rights reserved.
- Brief overview of the itinerary
- Began trip at the Belize airport (BZE)
- To begin, the roads were pretty good
- The roads got rougher the closer we got. Roni had to get out to fill holes and guide me.
- Recent rains had washed away large portions of the track.
- We used an inflatable boat with outboard motor to haul ourselves and gear to camp.
- Traveling by boat up the reservoir to camp.
- Hiking up reservoir bank to camp in the edge of the forest.
- We slept in Hennessey Hammocks, with personal gear in plastic underneath. It rained heavily.
- Charles and Roni trained field workers in use of GPS receivers to document nest site locations.
- Team divided up to patrol areas where poachers seek macaw nests.
- Charles and Roni coordinate with FCD, a local conservation NGO also patrolling for wildlife poachers.
- We used GPS receivers to determine our routes each day.
- We used photography to document macaw nesting.
- A few snapshots to depict the habitats along the reservoir.
- Water flowing over gentle rapids into the upper part of the reservoir.
- Small landslide on bank of reservoir.
- Stream flows over cascade into reservoir.
- Cohune palms (Attelea cohune) survive seasonal flooding better than other trees.
- Scarlet macaws feed on oil-rich nuts of cohune palms.
- We saw about macaws flying in pairs, in larger flocks, at three locations.
- We stopped to observe flocks and take photographs to document their behavior.
- And to enjoy seeing them, and hearing them.
- They are very vocal and social birds.
- They occur in pairs within flocks.
- They are cavity nesters high in trees. This tree had bark scars where poachers had climbed the tree to steal nestlings.
- We also noted other wildlife, such as group of spider monkeys. This species is rare in Belize.
- We saw a few Morelet’s crocodiles, an endangered species in Belize.
- Other wildlife was more abundant, such as these bats roosting on the trunk of a tree on the water’s edge.
- Dee were scarce. We saw a few tracks, and this doe-fawn pair fleeing into the forest as we approached by boat.
- Several artificial nest boxes were placed along the reservoir after the dam was constructed. We saw no evidence than any had ever been used.
- This is the Chalillo dam from the reservoir side.
- This is the Chalillo dam from the north.
- This is the powerhouse for the Chalillo dam and the spillway below it.
- I want to thank Roni Martinez and Charles Britt, the field crew and these organizations.